Beautiful job, Ellen! I've known the song, and Hebb's name. Period! Never knew a thing about him or what he looked like! I've always thought that "Sunny," for a rock era song, was so in the MOR pocket, which is nowhere close to a knock. It sounded great on '66 Top 40 radio, but what an instant gift for the Ray Conniffs, Andre Kostelanetzes, and Percy Faiths of the day (as well as MOR singers, like Mathis, Andy Williams, Como, and others)!!
So many times, those very same interpreters would have to bend, twist, and wrench a far more rockier Top 40 hit into an orchestral arrangement....for, this one, Bobby did the near-impossible: Craft an easy-listening Top 40 smash that avoided sappiness, had a happy message that withstood repeated listenings, and as Ron Carter and Ella proved (and many others, I'm guessing), was easy to make swing in a jazz lane! Now, I'd love to see and hear what else Hebb has done!
Thanks, Brad! You're right, it was a gift to MOR singers, many of whom recorded it. Hebb collaborated with Rudiger Ludwig to put out a 2-volume "A Collection of Various Interpretations for Sunny" on the Trocadero label in 2002. A 50th anniversary collection was also released in 2016, with these artists: James Brown & Dee Felice Trio, Shirley Bassey, Robert Mitchum, Dusty Springfield, The Head Shop, The John Schroeder Orchestra, Georgie Fame, Cher, Wilson Pickett, Herbie Mann & Tamiko Jones, Booker T. & The MG´s, Trini Lopez, Ella Fitzgerald and Jose Feliciano. I've listened to some of them and they're remarkably varied. It's a song that seems adaptable across genres and styles. Even a metal version by Boney M (1976) -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PU_Id5MzFpA.
Sadly, despite a number of efforts, Hebb did not chart again. The closest he got was co-writing Lou Rawl's hit A Natural Man, which you might remember --https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y9tS0loD3vQ
Thanks for those links, Ellen! If that's the same Boney M, they were doing disco in the mid-'70s! I think I recall the Rawls album, but don't recall the song. That was '71 (and he was with MGM), just a few years before he signed with CBS, and had his "new career" with Philly-based hits! I just noticed nightclub comedian/comic actor, Sandy Baron, co-wrote "Natural Man" with Hebb! Those collections sound amazing, and I'm glad Hebb seemed to have been well-taken-care-of, financially, in his twilight years. Thanks again!
I recalled the Rawls song when I listened to it again. It won the R&B male vocal award at the '72 grammys. I can't believe how much you know about people's careers. It really adds context I myself don't have.
Sandy Baron didn't ring a bell until I looked him up on wikipedia. I'm sure I saw him on Johnny Carson (or Merv).
Yep, same Boney M. Thanks to Lost Soul who shared the link to their disco version in another comment --https://youtu.be/S-u6qdeaPoE?feature=shared. As someone who used to do the hustle, right up my alley.
That's the Boney M I remember! I recall Sandy Baron as being one of those stand-ups who probably showed up a lot on "Ed Sullivan" and "Hollywood Palace" (with Lola Falana and Joey Heatherton as fellow guests! You may recall the SCTV parody character, the smarmy Vegas entertainer, Lola Heatherton https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=990OaFr8EYw!), as well as Carson, Merv, Mike Douglas, and Dinah Shore!!
Which is what rang a bell when I looked up the "Natural Man" song, and saw Baron's name! It was like running into Corbet Monica's or Shelly Berman's name out of the blue!
What would be interesting to discover is how Hebb and the Jewish Baron met and became besties to the point of sharing songwriting duties!
I know -- the music and entertainment worlds seem rife with bizarre and surprising collaborations like that one. Maybe they shared an agent or ran into each other in Elaine's or the Russian Tea Room!
Shows there is great fun to be had in reading song credits and liner notes.
Wow, you've brought up so many memories of that TV era with those names. I remember Lola and Joey well. I didn't know about Catherine O'Hara and Second City's send-up -- brilliant. (I'm such a fan of hers from the Christopher Guest films and Schitt's Creek, although who can forget Home Alone. Didn't know she was in Second City Toronto.)
I love so many versions of Sunny… my introduction was actually via the Boney M. version…
Not good on the spoons.. and as for tap dancing… would possibly have had a promising career if I hadn’t fallen into the sink one day when I was practicing..
The Ella Fitzgerald version is great. I appreciate starting with the original, and she definitely raises it another level.
No one like Ella, that's for sure.
Beautiful job, Ellen! I've known the song, and Hebb's name. Period! Never knew a thing about him or what he looked like! I've always thought that "Sunny," for a rock era song, was so in the MOR pocket, which is nowhere close to a knock. It sounded great on '66 Top 40 radio, but what an instant gift for the Ray Conniffs, Andre Kostelanetzes, and Percy Faiths of the day (as well as MOR singers, like Mathis, Andy Williams, Como, and others)!!
So many times, those very same interpreters would have to bend, twist, and wrench a far more rockier Top 40 hit into an orchestral arrangement....for, this one, Bobby did the near-impossible: Craft an easy-listening Top 40 smash that avoided sappiness, had a happy message that withstood repeated listenings, and as Ron Carter and Ella proved (and many others, I'm guessing), was easy to make swing in a jazz lane! Now, I'd love to see and hear what else Hebb has done!
Thanks, Brad! You're right, it was a gift to MOR singers, many of whom recorded it. Hebb collaborated with Rudiger Ludwig to put out a 2-volume "A Collection of Various Interpretations for Sunny" on the Trocadero label in 2002. A 50th anniversary collection was also released in 2016, with these artists: James Brown & Dee Felice Trio, Shirley Bassey, Robert Mitchum, Dusty Springfield, The Head Shop, The John Schroeder Orchestra, Georgie Fame, Cher, Wilson Pickett, Herbie Mann & Tamiko Jones, Booker T. & The MG´s, Trini Lopez, Ella Fitzgerald and Jose Feliciano. I've listened to some of them and they're remarkably varied. It's a song that seems adaptable across genres and styles. Even a metal version by Boney M (1976) -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PU_Id5MzFpA.
Sadly, despite a number of efforts, Hebb did not chart again. The closest he got was co-writing Lou Rawl's hit A Natural Man, which you might remember --https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y9tS0loD3vQ
Thanks for those links, Ellen! If that's the same Boney M, they were doing disco in the mid-'70s! I think I recall the Rawls album, but don't recall the song. That was '71 (and he was with MGM), just a few years before he signed with CBS, and had his "new career" with Philly-based hits! I just noticed nightclub comedian/comic actor, Sandy Baron, co-wrote "Natural Man" with Hebb! Those collections sound amazing, and I'm glad Hebb seemed to have been well-taken-care-of, financially, in his twilight years. Thanks again!
I recalled the Rawls song when I listened to it again. It won the R&B male vocal award at the '72 grammys. I can't believe how much you know about people's careers. It really adds context I myself don't have.
Sandy Baron didn't ring a bell until I looked him up on wikipedia. I'm sure I saw him on Johnny Carson (or Merv).
Yep, same Boney M. Thanks to Lost Soul who shared the link to their disco version in another comment --https://youtu.be/S-u6qdeaPoE?feature=shared. As someone who used to do the hustle, right up my alley.
That's the Boney M I remember! I recall Sandy Baron as being one of those stand-ups who probably showed up a lot on "Ed Sullivan" and "Hollywood Palace" (with Lola Falana and Joey Heatherton as fellow guests! You may recall the SCTV parody character, the smarmy Vegas entertainer, Lola Heatherton https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=990OaFr8EYw!), as well as Carson, Merv, Mike Douglas, and Dinah Shore!!
Which is what rang a bell when I looked up the "Natural Man" song, and saw Baron's name! It was like running into Corbet Monica's or Shelly Berman's name out of the blue!
What would be interesting to discover is how Hebb and the Jewish Baron met and became besties to the point of sharing songwriting duties!
I know -- the music and entertainment worlds seem rife with bizarre and surprising collaborations like that one. Maybe they shared an agent or ran into each other in Elaine's or the Russian Tea Room!
Shows there is great fun to be had in reading song credits and liner notes.
Wow, you've brought up so many memories of that TV era with those names. I remember Lola and Joey well. I didn't know about Catherine O'Hara and Second City's send-up -- brilliant. (I'm such a fan of hers from the Christopher Guest films and Schitt's Creek, although who can forget Home Alone. Didn't know she was in Second City Toronto.)
I love so many versions of Sunny… my introduction was actually via the Boney M. version…
Not good on the spoons.. and as for tap dancing… would possibly have had a promising career if I hadn’t fallen into the sink one day when I was practicing..
https://youtu.be/S-u6qdeaPoE?feature=shared
Welcome, Lost Soul, and thanks for sharing that Boney M version. (Love it, really into disco, used to do the hustle in the day.)
Sorry to hear your tap dancing career was cut short!
I've subscribed to your stack. Looks great!